Christian Living

---

Larry Lilly's Letter Monday July 6, 2009

They used to call it Blue Monday, for a number of reasons. Perhaps it was the after effects of a hard drinking or playing weekend, the thought of the long, tiresome, and often boring journey to Friday. I recall my mother gathering a mountain of dirty clothes and taking them outside to a wash tub of hot water over a fire and with lye soap and a scrub board go about the family washing. Hey, this is true and I am not that old.

Buzz Aldrin, the true Moon Walker suffered a "Blue Monday" existence, plunged into deep depression and alcoholism said "I realized I was experiencing the 'melancholy of things done.' I had done all that I had ever set out to do." This guy was an achiever par excellent.

I set to thinking along these lines when news of a fellow pastor's death was noted in the briefest manner possible, as having "inflicted his own death." This was last week. When this sort of thing happens, I always get into a time of heart, mind and soul searching. In my experience I have walked too close to the brink on occasion to be much of a harsh critic. As I grew older I realized that my continuing to live was far more irritating to those who dislike (Okay, hate) me than my death by natural causes or my own hand would be. So I live!! Actually, I am enjoying a rather full and fulfilling life as the years roll along.

Over what is now a long life and a long ministry I have never known a pastor who was struggling in some small town watering hole church to do the deed drastic, but rather each, and there have been several, far too many, was at the top of their game. No name's, but a few were nationally known and others in the higher echelon of their particular group. I, as any person ask the "WHY" with caps to emphasize the inner bewilderment.

I am aware of the danger of serious depression, and even more aware of the dangers associated with "hiding" depression. Mental illness of some sort is often behind the act, in other cases emotional breakdown. And the fear of exposure often comes to light. For in most religious groups we do not believe in the old concept of sinless perfection, but it is expected of us by our peers and those who look up to us. Hence, the pill, the trigger or other means. The men of whom I think seemingly had it all, but Shakespeare, the Greek and Roman philosophers and many moderns express a truth that transcends persuasions, is made clear in a statement by the author, Henry Miller:

"If there is to be any peace, it will come through being, not having."

It does not matter what others consider to be your "success" you are the one who must feel in your heart of hearts that you and the perceived you are real.

There is far more to the statement of Jesus in John 10:10, my paraphrase, "I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly," than we are willing to come to grips with.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2009 Use with credit.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE